A Message from Dr Horowitz on Congenital Lyme

“I have had women who have had multiple miscarriages secondary to Lyme, where both the placenta and fetus showed evidence of infection. In this article in Scientific American.com, it discusses the risk of transmission of Lyme to the fetus. Other tick-borne infections, such as the relapsing fever spirochete, as well as Babesia and Bartonella can also be transmitted to the fetus. Tick-borne infections represent a significant risk to pregnant women, and although the article states that there is little scientific evidence to suggest fetal malformations, I have included a bibliography below to show that in fact there are many scientific articles proving that Lyme can both harm and kill a developing fetus.”http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/mothers-may-pass-lyme-disease-to-children-in-the-womb/

Markowitz, L. E., A. C. Steere, et al. (1986). “Lyme disease during pregnancy.” Jama 255(24): 3394-6. Because the etiologic agent of Lyme disease is a spirochete, there has been concern about the effect of maternal Lyme disease on pregnancy outcome.